The US International Trade Commission (ITC) will today start hearings in a case filed by US chipmaker Qualcomm that alleges Nokia infringed some of its patents in GSM phones.
Hearings are scheduled to take place during the next two weeks and ITC said on its Internet site it aims to reach decision by 12 March 2008.
A major legal dispute between the two has continued with part of a key cross-licensing agreement over technology patents expiring in April 2007, and their battle is worrying investors and the industry on both sides of the Atlantic.
Analysts estimate Nokia has paid Qualcomm around $500 million per year and now aims to get a better deal. Nokia says its patent portfolio is much stronger now than 15 years ago when the original cross-licensing deal was signed.
In June, the ITC ruled against Qualcomm, saying it infringed a Broadcom patent, and banned imports of new advanced cellphones using some of Qualcomm's chips.
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